Question

read the excerpt from part two of trifles.

county attorney (facetiously). well, henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. she was going to—what is it you call it, ladies!

mrs. hale (her hand against her pocket). we call it—knot it, mr. henderson.

how is this excerpt an example of irony?

○ the lighthearted and humorous tone of the county attorney is the opposite of what you would expect during a situation like this.
○ a show of interest in the quilt on the men’s behalf was a sudden twist of what would normally be expected.
○ the county attorney appeared to be asking a question about the quilt, but he was actually asking another question entirely.
○ it appeared as though mrs. hale was answering the question, but she actually meant something quite different with her response.

Explanation:

To determine the irony, analyze each option:

• Option 1: The tone's contrast isn't the core irony here.
• Option 2: Men's interest in the quilt isn't the ironic element.
• Option 3: The Attorney's question isn't a misdirection about another topic.
• Option 4: Mrs. Hale's response "knot it" has a double meaning (relating to the murder, as "knot" can imply the act of killing, while the men think it's about the quilt). She answers the quilt - related question but means something about the crime, which is irony (verbal irony or situational in the subtext).

Answer:

D. It appeared as though Mrs. Hale was answering the question, but she actually meant something quite different with her response.